Lovestruck
by Sage Tides
Summary: After absorbing too much of Kitty's conciousness, Rogue begins to develop feelings for both Lance and Pietro. Gambit decides to intervene.


Thank you for choosing my little series! I've decided to place this at some point after the last episode of the X-Men: Evolution series. Pietro Maximov and Lance Alvens have moved into the Xavier Institute in a final effort to change their ways and gain better understanding of their abilities. Lance's budding relationship with Kitty Pryde cements their place in the house. It's summer break, and while Scott, Jean, and Kurt are away with Professor Xavier, Logan is in charge of the household.

This is a fan fiction site, so why people bother to post disclaimers is beyond me, but EVERYONE does it. I'll be following the trend now.

I am in no way affiliated with X-Men: Evolution or its creators. I own no rights to the show, the comics, the characters, or the locations. Any similarity to real events is purely coincidental. I hope I don't offend anyone. Peace out.

"Oh, no. We're not doing this." The ill-tempered professor said, having been roused from sleep. He let out a low growl as he stumbled sleepily to his bedroom door. "Maximov!" He snarled. "If you're gonna live here, you're gonna be silent, comprende?"

A hasty voice echoed from somewhere down the hall. "I hear ya."

Wolverine growled again. He glared at the clock on his nightstand, which revealed the time to by four-thirty.

"Even the clock's perky in th' morning." He groaned. He heard muffled shouts of protest from the floor below his room. These shouts were accompanied by the thuds that heralded expensive property damage. He clenched a fist and stared out the window at the first rays of morning sun. He'd let one of the senior students deal with the noise while he caught up on his alone-time.

Kitty Pryde groaned and hid her head under her pillow. She had admitted to herself that Pietro Maximov could be funny—maybe even cool, sometimes—but it was stuff like this that made her quickly forget those friendly sentiments. She phased through her bed and the floor to the kitchen below. She put her hand firmly on her classmate's shoulder and let herself slip through another floor, and left the blond stuck between levels. Seconds later, she had climbed the stairs from the basement and was calmly walking past the trapped Quicksilver and back to her bedroom where she flopped back onto the twin-sized mattress.

"You coulda at least turned on the T.V!" She heard from below. She crossed her fingers and hoped that the noise hadn't woken Logan. A bad mood would make for an impromptu obstacle course, and she just wasn't up for that.

"Anybody not ready for the course by seven-thirty is sharin' the Toad's toothbrush for a week." Logan yelled down the corridor. "And remember to direct all gratitude toward yer new friend Speedy."

Logan heard a squeak from the kitchen as he went outside to survey the course. The four boys of the Brotherhood had moved into the Xavier Institute. This unstable arrangement was causing far less tension than Wolverine had expected, aside from the usual difficulties. The group was even surprisingly coordinated during the training session the professor had constructed. It seemed that their occasional truces and intimate knowledge of each other's abilities had made their teamwork as strong if they had trained together for years. And was that even a smile on Shadowcat's face?

"Keep an eye on your surroundings," Logan shouted over the noise. He couldn't allow them all to have too much fun on his watch. It seemed Lance and Kitty's shaky relationship was enough to keep the groups on good terms, if only for a time.

"Maybe I should think of them as one group now." He muttered to himself.

"Even I hope it stays this way, and I'm not a huge fan of the Brotherhood." Kurt offered, appearing behind him. "We'll make a pretty good team, as long as the lovebirds stay on good terms." He added before rejoining the exercise.

"And what's your opinion of it?" Logan inquired, seemingly to himself. A figured dropped from the branches of one of the lush maples and landed at the clawed mutant's right side.

"Seems pretty fragile to me," The man said, his voice thick with a seductive accent. "But hey, I just see the future." The smaller man grunted, forcing back a smile.

"Then what brings you to the institute?" He inquired. He had learned to be wary of Gambit's presence.

"I have my own dove to watch." He said simply before hopping the seven foot fence and disappearing into the shadows.

"Good job everyone." Scott said, using his leadership voice. Kitty massaged the shoulder she had fallen on and trudged toward the mansion. As expected, the training session had been long and exhausting. Lance fell in step beside her, looking uncertain.

"Are you…alright?" He asked slowly. She looked at him and smiled reassuringly.

"Lance, we train like this all the time. I'm just like, sore." She sighed, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"Are you sure? Because if he hurt you…"

"You'll do what, Lance?" She interrupted. "You have to try to get along with people here."

"Yeah man." Pietro added, appearing beside the pair. "Lighten up." Lance and Kitty blinked, both of them needing a moment to slow down the blond's words in their minds.

"Dude, I swear you're getting' faster." The taller boy said, rolling his eyes.

"You're just gettin' dumber, man." He said before running off to bother Jean. Kitty couldn't help giggling at the exchange. She was happy these two had finally joined their team, and hoped her friends felt the same way.

"Kitty," A female voice said from behind. Rogue placed a gloved hand on Shadowcat's shoulder, startling her enough to cause her powers to flicker in a mix of surprise and hesitation. She spun, and phased halfway through her good friend before her power flickered again. And there they were, stuck together momentarily, Rogue biting her lip to keep from screaming. And then she had Kitty's ability, and phased through, panting. Kitty fell, unconscious, but was caught by Pietro Maximov. He blushed, embarrassed to be supporting her by the chest, and quickly passed her to Avalanche.

"I uh…" He started before disappearing in a blur. Lance, looking mildly confused, cared his love to her room in the Xavier institute while the other students huddled around Rogue. She buried her head in her hands and shook.

"I took too much, Logan." The teen said, holding back a sob. "We were too close. I have all of her memories. Her personality…I don't remember what's me. It's never been so bad!" She lost control and began to sob. Logan, being far more sentimental than he let on, hugged her and patted her back.

"We'll fix it, girl." He said softly. "When the professor and Jean get back, they'll sort you two out." Rogue nodded, still shaking slightly.

"And until then?" Lance asked from the doorway. "Kitty's just going to stay unconscious that whole time?" Logan glared.

"If you have another way of fixin' this mess, let us know." He said. He pushed past the teen and down the hall. Lance sighed.

"I didn't want to eavesdrop, but I'm…I'm concerned." He stared intently at the floor, never meeting Rogue's eyes.

"You love her. She loves you too. I feel it." Rogue said, embarrassed. "I…it's not my feelings, but they're here." She placed her hand over her heart. Suddenly she looked up at him, her face sharp. "Get out. Please!"

He looked up, bewildered, and shut the door. Lance stood in the hallway for a long time, forehead pressed against the door of his classmate's room.

Rogue noticed something about her—about Kitty—that she would have never expected. Her affection for Lance was deep and honest, and she was certain that he felt the same. But there was someone else who had caught her eye. Pietro Maximov was the reason Kitty kept Lance at arm's length. Whenever she found herself falling for one, the other would do something so sensitive genuine that she felt like they were meant for each other. Rogue shook her head in amazement as she watched the two boys eating breakfast with the rest of the X-Men. Her amazement did not come from a lack of appreciation for the boys. On the contrary, it came from a sudden, deep respect. She found herself calculating.

"If one is taken, I can be with the other." She mumbled to herself while she brushed her hair. If she were to be in a relationship with Pietro, Kitty's indecision would mean nothing, and they could all be happy and in love. She let herself fall backwards onto her bed and sighed at the ceiling. "I'll do it. How could her resist?" She said, her voice more like a Californian student than a Southern bell.

Thank you for reading! I hope this was satisfactory. I promise to add more humor and drive the plot more quickly in the following chapters. I need to rewatch Evolution to recall 90's humor. Which reminds me, their bad lines are a product of 90's pop culture invading my brain. Don't blame me. Thanks again!


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